White people, we need to do better and be better – and listen to what Black people are saying. That’s why Mickey Guyton’s new song “Black Like Me” is a vital message (this week and any week). Through twinkling piano keys, she depicts her story as a Black woman in this country. “Little kid in a small town / I did my best just to fit in / Broke my heart on the playground / When they said I was different,” she weeps on the first first.
Meant as a healing agent, “Black Like Me” quickly soars and gets to the crux of it all on the hook. “It’s a hard life on easy street / Just white painted picket fences as far as you can see,” she sings. “If you think we live in the land of the free / You should try to be black like me…”
It’s urgent, gut-wrenching, and heartfelt. Let’s listen to her.
Listen to “Black Like Me” below.